Capturing with culture

A group of young people in Changsha, Hunan province, is working to promote traditional handicrafts using a profitable business model.

Their company, Cicada Modern Culture Co, began by making documentaries about artisans, many of whom practice traditional crafts that have been recognized as intangible cultural heritage. When their series, The Great Shokunin, premiered in 2016, it became an instant hit, attracting university graduates like Dai Lyuxia, who is now 29, to join their ranks.

"I was captivated by the elegant aesthetics in the series," says Dai, who studied journalism, as she reflects on what inspired her decision. She is now six years into her job as e-commerce team leader with Cicada Modern Culture. "It's both my profession and my passion."

The company now encompasses video content creation, the sale of handicrafts and other intangible cultural heritage commodities on e-commerce platforms, and the offline marketing of creative museum souvenirs.

Last year, Dai traveled to Yangjiabu, a remote village in Shandong province famed for its traditional New Year woodblock prints, to select something to sell during the Spring Festival.

She remembers seeing art shops flanking the streets, and very few tourists, and sifted through countless prints before one caught her eye. "It was of a fictional money tree, symbolizing wealth, and was decorated with colorful images of bronze coins and treasure-filled basins."

Her team designed elegant packaging for the prints, filming a series of promotional vlogs and creating social media posts featuring images and illustrations of it to ensure ample exposure.

In the course of the last year, they have sold 15,000 prints, grossing 1.5 million yuan, the majority of which is paid to the artists.

"Everyone here loves traditional culture, and we have the passion to understand it and promote these products to more people," she says.

Huo, who continues to post her creative imitations on social media, is also passionate about popularizing traditional culture. "The strength of our country provides a solid foundation for the revival and passing on of traditional culture, and our ancestral treasures deserve more attention and love from the masses, so they can hand them down for thousands more years to come."